Joanne Greaves, 22, was awoken in the early hours of the morning by the soft cries of her four-week-old daughter Abbie.

She sleepily asked her boyfriend Lee, 26, to fetch the baby's bottle from the kitchen and he drowsily obliged.

Suddenly Abbie's whimpers were drowned out by the high-pitched screams from 6ft Lee who had unwittingly trodden on an unwelcome visitor slithering up the stairs ... a three-foot SNAKE.

Joanne, of Queens Road, Ashton, said: "He yelled out and shouted there was a snake on the landing. I told him not to be so daft. I went out to have a look and screamed the house down."

The frantic mum-of-three grabbed her two other children, 18-month-old Ethan and Reiss, three, before dashing back into her bedroom and diving under the covers. She added: "I phoned my mum who told me to call the RSPCA. By this time Lee was in the kitchen trying to catch the snake. But suddenly it cornered him and reared up in the air. He had no choice but to jump on top of the worktop. It was like a scene from a Carry On film.

"We rang the police and an officer ordered the RSPCA to pick it up immediately. The inspector arrived at 1.45am and took it away. She told us it was the fourth one they had found in Queens Road in the past fortnight."

Rumours are currently flying around the neighbourhood as to where the slippery customers came from. Residents claim up to 11 escaped from a car boot two weeks ago. RSPCA spokesman Katy Geary confirmed local inspectors have collected four reptiles - two 6ft pine snakes, a 3ft children's python, and a 3ft milk snake in the last 14 days.

She said: "One was discovered in a cooker and Joanne's elderly neighbour came face to face with a milk snake hanging from the grill outside his back door.

"They are non-venomous, so no-one should be too alarmed. Parents and pet owners in the area should be vigilant because they can dole out a nasty bite." Anyone finding a snake is asked to call the RSPCA immediately on 08705 555 999."